Egyptian fencer reveals she's 7 months pregnant while competing at Olympics
Egyptian fencer Naza Hafez revealed she competed at this year’s Paris Olympics while being seven months pregnant.
The three-time Olympian took to her Instagram account on Tuesday, July 30 to share her extra special feat as an athlete.
“What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, & my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!” she began in her caption.
She added that she had her “fair share of challenges”—both physical and emotional aspects—in preparing for the event. And while keeping the balance of her personal life and sports was challenging, she stressed that it was worth it.
“The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it,” she wrote.
“I’m lucky to have shared the trust of my husband (Ibrahim Ihab) and that of my family to be able to come this far. This specific Olympics was different; Three times *Olympian* but this time carrying a little Olympian one!” she concluded her post.
Hafez won against USA’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky which landed her a spot in the top 16. She finished her Paris Olympics stint after being defeated by South Korea’s Korea’s Jeon Hayoung on Monday, July 29.
This is her highest placement yet, after ranking 36th and 29th in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, respectively.
Hafez was also fortunate to experience a nursery in the Paris Olympic Village—the first for an Olympic Games—which is intended to allow athletes to spend quality time with their children during the Summer Games, as per ABC News and Associated Press.